Gun hostage drama ends

Three women held hostage at a central London bank this lunchtime have told of the dramatic moment an armed man jumped over the counter with a handgun and tried to grab one of them.

The group have told how they imprisoned the man in the building until police came to their rescue.

The man gave himself up to police after the two-hour drama at the Victoria branch of the HSBC bank.

The man jumped over the counter at the bank which is just yards from Scotland Yard and Buckingham Palace, and tried to grab one of the female employees.

The alarm was sounded and a negotiator and armed response vehicle were called to the bank just before noon. An area around the bank was cordoned off, causing traffic chaos throughout the area.

Speaking about their ordeal, the three women said they had been "petrified" by the suspected robber, and that they had not given up hope that the police would come to their rescue.

In a joint statement, the women - who wish to remain anonymous - said: "We were confronted by the man when he came into the bank.

"He tried to grab one of us but we all managed to escape. We got into a room where we all used our bodyweight to keep the door shut until we could move some cabinets to keep the door closed.

"We were petrified but thought if we could get away from him and stay hidden, then the police would come in and arrest him."

Eyewitness Richard Jones who works at Info.com, right next door to the bank, said he could not believe it when he saw armed police surround the the area just before midday.

He explained: "I just happened to be looking out of the window when I saw about 15 policeman turn up and surround our office and HSBC next door. Within minutes the area was cordonned off and everyone was moved from the scene as the police closed Victoria Street and Buckingham Palace Road as far as I can see."

"Before I knew what was happening a number of armed policeman were coming through our offices. They looked like something out of the film Leon with their flak-jackets and arms. They were not just carrying guns but a whole host of weapons."

Mr Jones also explained how minutes after the police arrived one man was taken away from the scene by police.

An another eyewitness said: "I saw at least 20 armed police go rushing down the road towards the bank."

The siege came to a peaceful end just after 2 o'clock when a police sniffer dog found the suspect hiding in the building. He did not resist arrest.

He has now been taken to a central London police station for questioning.